By Khanyisa Khenese
The murder case against Mthuthuzeli Manyathi, who was arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend Ntombomzi ‘Nomirana’ Nonze early this year, has again been postponed due to an outstanding post-mortem report, to the frustration of gender activists.
On Wednesday, members of the Isikhalo group, an anti-GBV organisation, received a message from Detective Yibanathi Dlakhwe informing them that the case had again been postponed to 30 September and transferred to a higher court. Manyathi appeared briefly in court last week.
Nonze’s body was found in her home in Vukani by law enforcement authorities in May.
In court, it was stated that Nonze had secured a protection order against Manyathi after opening a criminal case against him backed up by a medical report confirming she had sustained physical injuries.
The defence argued that Nonze had withdrawn the case against Manyathi and had failed to appear in court.
However, state prosecutor C Du Preez said Nonze had not been to court because she had been killed, allegedly by Manyathi. Du Preez revealed that when the court asked Manyathi, on 21 May, where Nonze was, he had pretended not to know where she was, only for her body to be found in the bedroom they shared in Vukani.
When Manyathi appeared in court for a formal bail application, the court refused him bail. In denying bail, Magistrate Mkontowesizwe Godolozi found that there was a likelihood Manyathi would evade trial after he admitted that he fled to the bushes when the police responded to the discovery of Nonze’s body in Vukani.
The magistrate said the possibility of life imprisonment, if found guilty in the case, could also make Manyathi abscond. If he released Manyathi, the decision would likely induce a sense of shock in the community and a lack of trust in the justice system, Godolozi stated.
Speaking to Grocott’s Mail, Mavis Ngoqo, Nonze’s cousin, said the dragging of the case is draining them.
“We are not happy; it has been a long time since Nomirana was murdered. What we want is to see this young man in prison [for good],” she said.
Nolusindiso Baliti and Anelisa Bentele, members of the Isikhalo group, an anti-GBV organisation, complained that the case was moving at a snail’s pace.
Bentele said: “I am not feeling well; it has been a while since the case started. Even the family members are panicking. They are saying that the justice system is failing them because the system is taking too long.”
“Imagine having to go to the court; there’s a postponement, and you have to wait another month to go to the court again,” she added. “It is very difficult because it is hard to heal from this court case. It is draining mentally and physically.”
